Beef + Lamb New Zealand is a partner in the M. bovis eradication programme alongside the Ministry for Primary Industries and DairyNZ.
Disease management agency OSPRI took over managing the day-to-day delivery of the programme from 1 November 2023. This includes:
- regular testing of milk and animals to detect any bovis infection
- managing any active or newly-detected properties
- depopulation and site cleaning of any affected properties
- farmer support.
Future surveillance
While the eradication effort is progressing well, extensive background surveillance (testing) will continue for several years to ensure New Zealand remains free of M. bovis. It is hoped that NZ can officially declare freedom from the disease in 2028.
Ongoing vigilance
Farmers are encouraged to remain vigilant with NAIT (National Animal Identification and Tracing) and animal movement recording, and to ensure the health history of any stock coming onto their farm. For more information, please visit the OSPRI website.